


Welcome

by ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Asexual Character, Multi, Penumbra Pride Week, Penumbra Pride Week Day 1, Pride Parades, Second Citadel (Penumbra Podcast)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 10:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19249147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand/pseuds/ADreamIsASoftPlaceToLand
Summary: Talfryn is nervous about Pride. People aren't always... nice about aroace identities.





	Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't initially going to write anything for today, but I went to my first pride parade a couple weeks ago, and AetherAria posted an AMAZING fic that reminded me that Tal is canonically aroace and I IMMEDIATELY knew I had to write something about Tal's first pride. Because PROJECTION BABY.
> 
> Happy Penumbra Pride Week!

“Keep surprising me, will ya? I think… I think it’s good for me.” 

Talfryn had been so nervous. But he’d needed to put it out there, had to say something to Marc. He hated lying, and while he knew it wasn’t really a lie to go along with Marc’s quips about pretty maidens and damsels in distress, he hated not being completely honest with his brother. So, he’d stammered it out, awkward and a bit babbly as usual but also with a sureness that he’d never really felt before. 

Of course, Marc reacted perfectly. He shouldn’t have expected any less. Within a week of Tal announcing that he was somewhere on the ace spectrum - he still wasn’t quite sure where he fell on that spectrum, but there was time for that yet - Marc had rolled into their apartment carrying a package that contained a six-foot ace flag, along with an aroace sticker to add to his laptop’s collage. Once Talfryn had opened the package, and had composed himself enough to thank his brother, Marc handed him a flyer advertising a pride event happening that weekend. 

“June’s Pride month, y’know, and well. I thought it might be fun! Watch my baby brother get to be loud and proud for the first time!” Marc grins lopsidedly at him. 

Talfryn looks up from the flier to beam back at Marc, “Yeah! This looks like a lot of fun! We can go to the parade in the morning and then check out all the booths in the afternoon and then there’s a concert at 4.”

Marc nods approvingly. “That sounds great, Tal. I was thinking we could invite Rilla and Damien and Arum, too? Since they’re apparently a thing, now, and that means they are definitely included in Pride, too.” 

“Oh, yeah! Family outing!”

Marc chuckles and shakes his head. “I’m not sure you meant to do that, Tal, but nice pun.” 

Talfryn blinks at Marc for a moment until he realizes what he’s said. “Oh, heh heh. Yeah, I guess that was kinda funny. Didn’t mean it that way, but I guess it’s true either way.” 

The day of the Pride parade, Talfryn thinks he’s more jittery than he’s ever been in his life. He tries to tell himself that it’s just excitement, but he can’t deny that he’s also… pretty nervous. He’s seen all the “ace discourse” on the internet and, honestly, it doesn’t feel very welcoming. It’s reassuring to know that Rilla’s going to be there with him, because he knows that she’ll absolutely obliterate anyone that tries to hurt him, but he hopes it won’t come to that nonetheless. 

He and Marc meet the trio on the street where the parade will begin, and they set up camp, laying out a blanket with some lawn chairs so they can watch the parade go by without having to stand the whole time. Talfryn feels a little awkward wearing his ace flag like a cape, and he’s debating if he should take it off and tie it around his bag instead. 

Then Rilla laughs at something and he’s pulled out of his thoughts by the noise, his eyes turning towards her. At first, he doesn’t notice what’s made her laugh. He’s too distracted by his breath suddenly hitching at what he sees behind her. There’s a group of people sitting a few feet away, and two of them are draped in aro and ace flags. They’re talking and laughing like they don’t have a care in the world, and suddenly he has no idea why he was so nervous. Except now he thinks his heart is going to explode from the feeling swelling in his chest.

And then he looks back to the commotion happening closer to him and he thinks his heart DOES explode. Because Marc’s Saint Bernard service dog Dampierre has been given a break and decided to take full advantage of this by plopping all 140lbs of fluff and drool and love that make up his body directly into Arum’s unsuspecting lap, much to the surprise of the entire party.

Arum is chuckling good-naturedly and attempting to cuddle Dampierre affectionately while Rilla snaps a picture, and Damien and Marc are looking more and more amused as Arum continues to be squished by the behemoth of a dog. Arum eventually manages to shift the dog into a position that is slightly less on top of him but still close enough to cuddle, and they settle in to wait for the parade. 

Later, after they’ve walked through all the booths and collected as much free merchandise as they can carry, and they’ve found a good spot to watch the concert, Talfryn realizes he hasn’t ever felt like this before. The whole day has been so much more than he expected, and he’s surrounded by love and warmth and acceptance he never thought he would feel. 

He doesn’t stop smiling the rest of the day.


End file.
